


Birthday party

by Swanqsposts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26274487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swanqsposts/pseuds/Swanqsposts
Summary: It's Regina's birthday and Henry convinces Emma to help organize a surprise party. Based on a prompt I received from a Tumblr user. (Prompt in end notes to avoid spoilers)
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	Birthday party

**Author's Note:**

  * For [evilregalbonhamcarter (Tumblr)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=evilregalbonhamcarter+%28Tumblr%29).



> If anyone wants to send me another prompt, you can find me on Tumblr under 'swanqsposts'. Thank you for everyone of you who leaves kudos and/or comments!
> 
> (prompt in end notes)

“Ma! You have to help me!” Henry burst trough the door of her room, foregoing knocking and jumped on her bed. “Mom’s birthday is coming up next week and you need to help me organize the best party ever. It has to be the best birthday party ever; it just has to.” Henry insisted, looking far too serious for his age.

“What? Next week is her birthday? Why has no one told me? I’m her best friend. How is it possible I didn’t know it was her birthday? And why does it have to be the best birthday party ever kid? I bet she had parties that we couldn’t possibly match when she was a queen in the Enchanted Forest.” Emma was taken aback by Henry’s news. She wondered how it was possible that she didn’t know her best friend’s birthday.

“Ma, she never had a birthday party.” Henry told her, looking a little guilty and incredibly sad for his adoptive mother.

“How is that possible, Henry? What kind of person has never had a birthday party?” She saw how much it affected Henry and she herself was surprised at how hurt she felt at Regina’s behalf. Since Neverland they had grown closer and the blonde’s feelings had changed. Whenever she learned something painful about Regina’s past, she wanted to comfort the brunette, take her in her arms and never let her go again. But she never said anything about it because she didn’t want to stand in the way of their newfound friendship.

“When I asked her to tell me about her past, she told me that she never went or had any parties. When she was a kid, Cora thought it was below her rank to have parties and her birthdays weren’t important enough to celebrate. And then she married the king and every ounce of attention and adoration had to be directed at Snow White. Only she was allowed to celebrate her birthday and she never asked mom when her birthday was. And the king didn’t care enough about her to bother. And then she became the Evil Queen and she didn’t celebrate her birthday because she was too busy trying to destroy Snow White’s happiness.” Henry explained, hurt and pain clearly painted on his face. When his mom had come to save him in Neverland, he had asked her to tell him her version of her story. He didn’t believe in the black and white version of the book anymore and he had wanted to hear his mom’s side of the story. Emma’s heart broke at her son’s explanation. She remembered Henry telling her about his amazing birthday parties when he was younger. How Regina managed to be such a loving mom, after having been trough everything she had, she didn’t know but it convinced her once more that Regina wasn’t the bad guy everyone painted her to be.

“Okay, kid, let’s organize the best birthday party ever. What did you have in mind?” she asked her son, curious about his ideas. She herself had no clue what Regina could want for her birthday.

“I thought I would make a scrapbook for her. One with pictures and little texts about my best memories with her. I want to show her that I still had a wonderful childhood and that I love her a lot, despite everything we went through. But I also know she loves family dinners. And I know she will want you to be there, so will you come? We can bake a cake together for her.” he added with a shit-eating grin.

“How do you know she wants me to be there? Don’t you think she would want to celebrate her birthday with you alone?”

“Don’t be silly Ma, she is always happier when you have dinner with us. And I know for a fact she loves you, so really, what better present than to celebrate with the ones you love?”

“Woah…Hold on there for a moment kid. How do you know she loves me?”

“She told me.” he blushed a little before continuing, “I asked her how to know when you liked someone, you know, because I was a little curious about Wendy on Neverland before she turned out to be working with Pan. And she told me a lot of things about her and Daniel and about how she was ready to love again. And then I asked her if she had already felt something like love for someone since Daniel and she said yes. So naturally, I asked her who she was talking about and then she told me it was you but that I couldn’t repeat it, because she didn’t want to stand in the way of your friendship. So, maybe I shouldn’t have told you…”, he looked a little bit sheepish.

Emma was flabbergasted to say the least. But then, a little spark of hope lit in the bottom of her heart and a smile made its way to her face. “Okay, I’ve got an idea Henry. You make your scrapbook and then give it to me; I’m going to add a few pictures on my own okay? I’ll get her another present from myself too. And we’ll bake a cake together. But don’t tell her anything. We’ll surprise her on her birthday.” Henry agreed easily and a plan was set into motion to surprise the brunette.

In the following days, Emma did a lot of online research to create the perfect gift for Regina. She also prepared a whole speech to woo Regina and prepared the pictures and little texts she wanted to add to the scrapbook. As Regina’s birthday got closer, the nerves got higher and higher. During her daily lunches with Regina, she found it harder and harder to not spill everything and she found herself wanting to kiss Regina on more than one occasion. But she stayed strong and hold onto her feelings for a little while longer. She really didn’t want to spoil her gift and Regina’s birthday. For a moment, she had wanted to invite her parents too, but after a very heated discussion with Snow about Regina, she decided that she wanted the party to be their little family only.

The day of Regina’s birthday was finally here, and Emma was a ball of nerves the whole morning. She had decided with Henry that they would surprise the mayor at lunch hour. She knew Regina was free that afternoon because she had checked her schedule with her assistant and asked her to clear everything for that afternoon. She hoped the party would go well and that the little family would be able to spend some time together. She arrived at the mayor’s office, took a deep breath, knocked and at Regina’s approval she entered the office.

“Hey Regina, I was wondering if you would like to lunch at the mansion today. I know we said we would go to Granny’s, but would you mind eating at the mansion today? Henry wanted to talk to you about something and he’s waiting for you at home.” Emma asked with as much seriousness as possible, hoping Regina wouldn’t pick up on the fact that she was lying.

“What happened? Is he okay?” the brunette asked, immediately panicking at the idea that there’s something wrong with her son.

“Relax, he’s fine. He’s waiting for us, so come on, he’ll explain everything at home.” Emma reassured the mayor. She should have known Regina would worry if she used Henry as an excuse to bring her to the mansion.

The drive to the mansion is a silent one, Emma being way too nervous to say anything and Regina worrying over what could possibly be wrong with Henry. They got out of the bug and walked the way up to the house. Emma gestured to Regina to go first and when she opened the door, she was met with a loud “Surprise!” from Henry and the sight of a lot of balloons and other birthday decorations.

“Henry…what is all this sweetheart?” she asked, not really understanding what was going on.

“Happy Birthday mom! We wanted to surprise you. Did it work?” he asked with a shy grin and looking up at his mom with an expectant gaze. His mother looked a little taken aback, while Emma was watching her with a wide smile on her face.

“I…I don’t know what to say. Henry, this is amazing, thank you so much my little prince.” She looked at him with so much love in her eyes and she went to hug him. He holds on tight, not letting go and very pleased with the reaction he got.

“Emma helped set everything up, mom, it’s going to be amazing! There is lunch, your favorite, and cake and then we have presents for you!” Henry was getting excited again at everything there was still in store for the afternoon. His adoptive mother turned to look at his other mother

“You did all this? You helped him?” She asked her, as if she couldn’t believe Emma did such an effort for her.

“Of course I did. I can’t believe you never told me when your birthday was. But Henry told me and well, you know I care about you and I want you to be happy so, of course I helped. It’s really nothing.” Emma answered, softly smiling at the brunette. She was beautiful when she looked like that and it warmed Emma’s heart to see.

“Thank you, Emma. I mean it, sincerely. This is already the best birthday I’ve ever had.” Regina told her.

“Well, wait until you taste the cake, your majesty” she smiled and then Henry told them it was time for lunch so they could get to the cake and the presents faster. Regina followed Henry and Emma to the table, thanking her lucky stars for her best friend and her son. The fact that Emma helped prepare everything, made butterflies fly around in her stomach and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face, no matter what she tried.

They had a wonderful time, eating the chicken ceasar salad Emma had prepared for everyone and Regina had to admit that she wasn’t a bad cook. Everyone thought so but that salad was even better than the one she made herself. Or maybe it was because Emma made it for her. When the time came for cake, everyone was smiling wildly, and Emma and Henry even started singing for Regina. She blushed and made quick work of the candles and set about cutting the cake. They each got one little slice, deciding to keep the biggest part of the cake for after the presents. The cake was delicious, and Regina couldn’t believe how beautiful her day had been until then. She never had anyone who wanted to celebrate her birthday, so the fact that she was now surrounded by the two people she loved the most was truly a perfect experience.

“Time for present now” Henry exclaimed excitedly. He jumped up and run to his room where he had hidden his present for his mom and when he came back, he was breathing heavily but wildly smiling. “This is from me, mom, happy birthday” he said as he kissed her cheek.

Regina gingerly opened the present and gasped out loud when she saw what it was. It was a beautifully crafted book, reminding her of Henry’s storybook, but instead of depressing stories, there were tons of pictures and little notes. As she skimmed trough the pages and read about the happy memories Henry still had from his childhood, a few tears started slipping down her cheeks. She had often felt very guilty about his childhood and after he started distancing himself from her, she thought he had never been happy and that she had completely failed motherhood. Seeing all these pictures and self-written notes, warmed her heart and she felt the muscle tighten in her chest and an overwhelming wave of love engulfed her.

When she came to the last few pages of the book, she found another surprise. It was the part Emma had added. There were pictures of family dinners at Granny’s, pictures of Emma and Regina laughing together at the park, while Henry was playing, and every picture was completed by a little text about what they were doing on the picture. On the very last page of the book there was a picture of Regina and Emma cuddled up together during a movie night. Henry had secretly taken that picture while his mothers were asleep and had gifted it to Emma to finish the storybook. Next to the picture there was a long letter and when she was finished reading, tears were streaming down her face and a beautiful smile appeared on her face.

_Dear Regina,_

_Normally I’m not good with words, but I’m going to try for you. What a journey we’ve been on. From the moment that we met; I was captivated by you. You were effortlessly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I often wished I had handled that night differently. Who knows what we could have been if I had said more than that stupid ‘hi’. Then things got a little bit rocky and I was too blind to see that underneath that power you seemed to exude, there was just a profound fear of losing the person you love the most. But then the curse broke, and I couldn’t believe everyone thought you were the Evil Queen. No, the woman I knew and saw, wasn’t an evil queen and maybe she never had been. I saw how hard you worked to change and I wanted to be with you on that journey so bad, but I let my parents, their expectations and my fear get the better of me. When we destroyed that trigger, it was the first time we consciously made magic together and it felt like nothing I had ever felt before. Making magic with you felt like the most natural thing in the world and in that moment, I wanted to tell you everything I felt for you. I wanted to tell you how much I admired your strength, how much I wanted to be your best friend and more, how much I wanted to keep making magic with you. But Henry got kidnapped and we had to go to Neverland. We had no time to waste on those pesky feelings, but I was still feeling them and with every step we took closer to Henry, my feelings for you just got stronger. If I admired your strength before, it was nothing compared to how I felt about you then. You were trying to save our son and at the same time pushing me to accept who I really am. You saved our son, despite everything and everyone you had to work against, including me and my parents. I can never thank you enough for not giving up on me on that godforsaken island. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have been lost and I would never have Henry. After Neverland, we grew closer and closer and my love for you didn’t waver. Through every lunch at your office, through every boring council meeting and through every family dinner, you’ve been there for me. I have to say, this time we spend together is the best time of my day. In the morning I’m looking forward to lunch and when lunch is over, I’m thinking about the next family dinner. What I look most forward too tough, are the moments where we can be just us. When we are not the savior and the mayor, but where we are just Regina and Emma. You know, since Henry showed me this picture, it’s become my favorite. I still clearly remember that night. We were watching Titanic and you were crying at the end. Oh, I won’t tell anyone about the big bad mayor having emotions, don’t worry. But you were close to me and the only thing I could think about was how I wanted to comfort you. I wanted you to never feel any pain like that anymore, so I wrapped my arms around you, praying that you wouldn’t push me away. You didn’t. Instead you leaned into me and you told me about Daniel. We cried together and eventually you fell asleep atop of me, with your arms still wrapped around me. I was looking at you and, in that moment, I had never felt more at home. I knew right there and then that you were it for me and that I would never love someone else the way that I love you. I love you Regina Mills, and I would be honored to spend every one of your birthdays by your side as your partner, if you’ll have me._

_Love,_

_Emma_

When Emma saw Regina was speechless, she cleared her throat and said, “I still have another present for you, to show you that I mean it with everything I have.” She took a little rectangular box out of her pockets and she presented it to Regina. It was a beautiful necklace with a swan as a pendant. The swan was holding a beautifully engraved ring that said, ‘Your white knight’. She had thought a lot about the engraving she wanted to put on the ring, and she decided that she would go with the white knight. The savior was too engrained in a negative history and while she didn’t want to live in the Enchanted Forest as an actual knight, she didn’t mind being Regina’s knight and she wanted to prove that she would do everything to protect the woman she loved.

In that moment, there was only Regina and Emma anymore. Regina looked up with teary eyes to find Emma smiling hopefully at her. She picked up the necklace and walked over to where Emma was seated. She leaned down and cupped Emma’s face with her hands, closed her eyes and leaned down to kiss her softly. Emma’s arms immediately went around Regina’s waist as she reciprocated the kiss. It was slow and full of love. When Regina pulled back, she looked into Emma’s eyes.

“I would love to spend everyone of my birthdays with you Emma Swan. I love you so much” she whispered against Emma’s lips. Emma answered by pressing her lips against Regina’s again, more passionately this time. They kissed until Henry smugly cleared his throat. They had both seemingly forgotten he was still there, and they pulled back, both blushing a little.

“See, ma, I told you she loved you” he said proudly. Emma just waved him off and went to clasp the necklace around Regina’s neck. With a last loving kiss to her lips, they went back to eating the rest of their cake and giving Regina some time to recover from the strong emotions. For the rest of the afternoon, the little family watched movies together and enjoyed being able to finally be together as a real family. It was the best birthday Regina had ever had and she felt herself overwhelmed by all the love.

Later that night, Emma and Regina were laying in bed together when Regina asked Emma “Did you mean what you wrote about being my partner?”

“Totally” she said, snuggling closer to Regina and already thinking of what she would give the brunette the following year.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prompt I received: It's Regina's bday and Henry tells Emma, and no one else knows. Emma gets Regina a present and some cake and a kiss? It catches Regina off guard but then they kinda forget about Henry still standing there. (In which they are not dating yet).  
> Thank you very much for sending me this, I had a lot of fun writing it! Hope you like it :)


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